On a recent chilly morning, Lola, a friendly bulldog mix clad in a puffy blue jacket, greets a visitor to West Public Relations in downtown San Diego.

Her whole body wiggles in excitement at the prospect of someone new to play with, and over the course of the next 20 minutes she brings her new buddy an assortment of toys to examine before finally collapsing on her foam bed.

At West PR, Lola is a fixture, a dog that is delighted to come to work every day with her owner, Mia West. Sometimes, Lola has four-legged company when West brings her boyfriend’s Italian mastiff, Duke, whom she calls “a small horse.” Another employee brings in her French bulldog, Ruby. Now and then, a Maltese named Phoebe comes.

So how does an office full of humans coexist with a canine corps?

Just fine, says West. In fact, the dogs make everything better.

“It brings a lot of levity to a stressful situation,” she says. “We’ll be very intense, we’ll be working on a project, brainstorming, and Lola will do something really silly or inappropriate … which will send us into giggle fits. It’s just amusing.

“She comes over, puts her head in your lap. Dogs can sense when you’re in a bad mood or you’re unhappy or you’re in a stressful place, and she reacts to my moods and is just a very loving creature. We enjoy it. It’s good for us.”

For a number of businesses around San Diego County, in fact, the presence of dogs (and other pets) in the workplace is the norm. It’s more common with small businesses such as West’s that have just a few employees, but the idea also has been adopted at some large local companies. At Petco’s corporate facilities in San Diego, nearly half of the 565 employees bring pets with them at least occasionally.

Nationally about 1.4 million owners bring dogs to work every day, according to a survey by the American Pet Products Association in 2011. Another survey by the same group indicates nearly one in five U.S. businesses is pet-friendly — including Google and Amazon. Plus, more businesses test-drive the idea each year by taking part in Take Your Dog to Work Day, started in 1999 (this year, it’s June 21).

Studies have shown the pets reduce employee stress levels, don’t hurt productivity and raise job satisfaction, loyalty and communication. A study in Great Britain has even called dogs “communication energizers.”

Charlie Piscitello, the head of human resources at Petco, agrees with all those conclusions. In fact, Piscitello — who often brings his golden retriever, Bella, to work — calls the fenced-in, outdoor play areas at the company “our animal collaboration areas.”

“When you go out and see six dogs in the dog park outside our building here, they’re all having fun playing,” he says. “But you notice something interesting in my job. I’ll go out and watch the dogs, but I’ll also watch the people. And I see the people interacting and talking, and not just talking about fun, but talking about work. … I think there’s a ton of benefits.”

At A7D Creative Group, owner David Gamboa gives his Vizsla, Amber, an impromptu back scratch while he works.
— Peggy Peattie

At A7D Creative Group, owner David Gamboa gives his Vizsla, Amber, an impromptu back scratch while he works.
— Peggy Peattie

Like West, David Gamboa sees no downside to having dogs in the North Park offices of his eight-person graphic design company, A7D Creative Group Inc.

He and his wife, Anna, often bring Amber, their 9-year-old Vizsla to work, and Kelli Wood, a graphic designer, will bring her pugs Philbert and Norman (though usually not both at once).

The dogs create a relaxed work environment, and the people don’t have to worry about leaving their dogs on their own all day.

Gamboa says there are few downsides. Mostly, the dogs sleep, play with toys or explore. When the sun streams in the front windows, he says, Amber finds a warm spot and takes a nap. Occasionally, when something catches her attention outside, she’ll bark. If she gets rambunctious, it passes quickly.

Recently, Gamboa said he was on the phone with a customer when her dog barked in the background.

In Vista, Molly, a 13-year-old cockapoo, has the run of Eufora International and knows each of the 25 employees of the company that manufactures hair-care products.

“During the day, she’ll walk around to different offices and maybe tap you on the leg, and she brings a smile to everyone’s face,” says Don Bewley, co-founder of the company with his wife, Beth, and Molly’s owner. Other employees will bring their dogs in when they need to, for whatever reason, and that’s fine with Bewley.

“We’re dog-friendly, I guess, as well as kid-friendly,” he says. “You have to be. Today’s a different world so you have to help your people as much as you can and make sure their life has balance.”

At Petco, a trip through the offices reveals dogs, cats, a rabbit, fish and rodents in employee cubicles, sealed off by baby gates. Food and water dishes, toys and dog beds are everywhere.

There are rules, of course. Employees must ensure their animals are healthy, have had their shots and can behave. Plus, workers need to keep their animals with them, so it’s not unusual to see people walking to meetings with their dogs on leash.

In fact, says Lisa Epstein, a senior communications specialist, the animals break down barriers. Employees often meet a dog first — they aren’t shy about introductions — then get to know its owner. Eventually, she says, people from all different departments are meeting at the dog park and discussing mutual projects.

Of course, at any company with animals there can be some downsides, such as messes, stolen lunches and phone calls interrupted by barking and squeaky toys.

But Piscitello says he’d encourage any business to think about it.

“We inherently believe and know that people are happier, they’re more centered and in some ways they can be more productive,” he says. “There are lots of benefits.”

To Epstein, she knows it’s a perk coveted by many people she meets.

“Whenever I tell somebody that I bring my dog to work on a regular basis, they’re like, ‘Oh my God, you’re so lucky. How can I work there?’ ”